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India: A new chapter in aviation industry

Aparna Dutt Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, IBEF

Jan 13, 2014 10:30 AM

The state-of-the-art Terminal 2 (T2) at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai was officially inaugurated last week by Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. Built at a cost of INR 5,500 crore (US$ 894.4 million), the architecture and design of the new 439,000 square metre four storey glass marvel is inspired by a white peacock. The terminal has the country's largest multi-level car parking area and world's longest cable stayed glass wall (15 metres). With 208 check-in-counters, 43 security pedestals, 161 elevators, one day hotel and one transit hotel, automated baggage system capable of handling 9,600 bags per hour, and a dedicated six lane elevated expressway, T2 has some of the most advanced state-of-the-art passenger convenience systems.

It may be noted here that CSIA manages about 19 per cent of the country's air passenger traffic and about 29 per cent of the nation's cargo traffic. The passenger traffic in Mumbai is expected to reach 80 million per annum and air cargo to 2 million tonnes by 2026. With the opening of T2, the annual passenger capacity of CSIA will shoot upto more than 40 million. Dr Singh said during his address at the inauguration that opening of T2 will inspire other infrastructure projects to achieve similar feat. Undoubtedly, the newly inaugurated T2 showcases India's ability to build world-class infrastructure.